What's in Your Piragua?

One of EPA’s goals is to make sure at least 90 percent of the nation’s population receives drinking water that meets all applicable health-based drinking water standards. 90 percent sounds pretty low but when you look across EPA’s regions you start to understand why that is not a bad overall goal. Every region is already above 90 percent except Region 2 which is below 60 percent. So what is going on in Region 2?

The answer is Puerto Rico, which is part of EPA Region 2. Less than 40 percent of Puerto Ricans receive drinking water that meets all applicable health-based standards. If we are looking to better protect people from contaminated water, Puerto Rico is a good place to focus. So what is EPA doing about this?

The graph below shows the % of the Puerto Rican population getting clean water over the last several quarters. There has been a marked improvement since 2005. However, EPA can’t get all the credit for this for at least two reasons. First, while there have been a number of water filtration plant upgrades, we believe the weather is a big factor in this increase. Since 2006, there has been a marked decrease in rainfall. Rainfall events in Puerto Rico can be intense, resulting in spikes that overload treatment plants. Less rain can mean better drinking water.

(click to enlarge)

Second, a lot of credit goes to the Puerto Rican government. EPA recently helped negotiate an agreement within the Puerto Rican government that calls for a multi-year capital improvement plan that will invest in excess of $1 billion in new water treatment. Final details of this agreement, incorporating EPA's recommendations, are being worked out with the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority. As this commitment is fulfilled, the water will just get cleaner and cleaner whether it is coming out of a tap or is served in a piragua (no, not a canoe, but a Puerto Rican snow cone) - regardless of the weather.